What is the biggest mystery in your tree?

[Josephine]

>> Emily had an illigitimate daughter when she was in service. That happened a lot. <<

PaulaToo,

Thanks, I didn't know that happened a lot.

My great-grandfather was illegitimate.  His mother was a 17-year-old live-in domestic at the time she became pregnant.  Apparently,  she was working for a well-off family and there were rumours that she was paid never to reveal the identity of her baby's father.  She took the secret to her grave and never even told her son.

Based on the employer's occupation, I believe I have identified the family my g-g-grandmother was working for.  Maybe one day they'll have a DNA study of that family and I can submit mine, just in case.

I didn't know my great-grandfather was illegitimate until I sent away for his parents' marriage record and learned they had gotten married when he was three and a half years old.  Then I had to ask around and was filled in by various members of that community (all the family members who might have known have died).

But he's not my biggest mystery, since I've (almost) given up on ever learning the identity of his biological father.

Regards,
Josephine

[Josephine]

My biggest mystery is my g-g-grandmother, Sarah Pope. 

Who was she, where did she come from and where did she go?

At the time of her marriage, on 2 June 1868, she was of “full age”.  Her father, Robert Pope, was a labourer.

But I can't find a Pope family in the 1851 or 1861 census with a father named Robert and a daughter the right age named Sarah.

Sarah Pope married William Thomas George.

If I have the right George family in 1871, her age is 23 and her birthplace is Whitechapel, Middlesex.

If I have the right George family in 1881, her age is 36 and her birthplace is Whitechapel, Middlesex.  (I'm pretty sure this is the right family in 1881.)

So she might have been born circa 1845-1848.  No record of a middle name.

There was a Sarah Pope born in 1845 in Whitechapel but I sent away for the certificate and it's the wrong girl.

Her husband died in 1883 (I have the death record) and I can't find her or her children in 1891 or 1901.

I have other brick walls but this one is the worst. 

Regards,
Josephine

[PaulaToo]

Having been able to browse the North Marston registers at leisure, Josephine, I was surprised to see a couple of entries even in that small village, where the presumed father was the same name as the family the girl was working for.
Aunty Em was not one of them, she was from Reading. I had a hell of a job tracking her down. I didn't particularly want her, but the other six in the family gave themselves up so easily. I began to wonder what was different it was only later in life that she 'went wrong' why couldn't I find her birth. I began to wonder if she was adopted, or being oldest of the brood, if she came as child of one of the parents but not the other. Then I did a broad sweep on FreeBMD for just the surname and district. It was obvious when I saw her, not Emily Mathias, but Harriet Emily. (Yes, Harriet, SallyCat, not only Paula Challis but Harriet as well!)
I don't think even my mother, her sister knew she was Harriet Emily. She was always, 'Our Em.' Now I know they had named her after her mother Harriet. Logical, but NO ONE TOLD ME!
If you would like to see a picture of her little girl it's in Photo Restore,  under 'Little Nellie and Grandfather'

[alllegs]

I think I have just come across another 2 mysteries with my lot....

I have a family headed by Thomas Taylor, he was a plumber (not like the plumber we know today, but a man who put lead on roofs and did the leading for stained glass windows), evidently he had to travel around with his job...

He was born in Thirsk in 1818 ish, his wife was born in Northanmptonshire.....I cannot find a marriage for them....did they even marry?  Their children were born all over, London, Halifax, Huddersfield, York, and Bradford and on the census' they can be found living in York, Oldham, Dewsbury and Huddersfield, but I cannot find a birth entry for any of the children.

I'd love to know where in Northamptonshire Martha (wife) came from and her maiden name, but without a marriage reference or any birth records for the children I'm pretty much stumped!

The second is my Gledhill family - I can't find them on any census.  I have the marriage certificate for Mary Amelia Gledhill form 1874, she states her father was James, deceased, brewers labourer.  I've found people with much less info on the census' before so i though this lot would be a doddle - how wrong was I?!  Neither can I find a birth record for Mary Amelia, I think she may have added the Amelia herself at a later date!

Oh well, it all keeps me on my toes

Happy hunting
Love
Legs
xxxx

[Josephine]

PaulaToo,

What I wouldn't give to find a baptismal record for my great-grandfather!  Canadian records (New Brunswick) from those times are hard to come by.

Thanks for pointing me towards the lovely photo and story!

Regards,
Josephine

[PaulaToo]

My pleasure, Josephine. I hope your brick wall crumbles. Bit of help from friends and some of mine are giving way.

[Josephine]

Many thanks, PaulaToo!  I'm glad to hear some of your brick walls are coming down!  ;  )

Regards,
Josephine

[hepburn]

Hi everyone,my mystery has no twists or turns,it's very straight forward.My gggrandfather arrived in Stoke on Trent,from Canada,maybe Montreal,he married Caroline Turton 1868,he's in the '71 census,and the '81 also,I'm almost sure he went back"home" to Canada 1886.
I can't find him in the 1851 census,I have no baptism record....I just want to know who he was.....geraldine.

[kelly]

My greatest mystery is the disappearance of my grandfather Francis Patrick KELLY.

He was born in June of 1882 in Liverpool and married my grandmother, Emma HEGARTY in October 1911, also in Liverpool.   Between 1912 and 1919 they had four sons and a daughter (two of whom didn't survive).  After 1920 there is no trace of Francis - my father said that he and his brothers were told that he had 'died' - but he was never talked about, nor was there ever a grave to visit.  (my father believes that Francis left Emma at around this time.) 

Emma went on to have a further son by a different father in 1924.  I have searched the death indexes from 1919 to 1925 but no sign of Francis's demise.  Don't know where to look next!!